White Americans Must Step Up Against Racism

The fight for LGBT Americans to live proudly and with dignity forced the U.S. to face one of its many demons all the way to the Supreme Court. And now marriage is open to all Americans. Time will tell how the SCOTUS decision will transform our country, but the larger story is this: Sustained social justice takes extraordinary resources.

Purging racism will require extraordinary resources in order to change the way our streets are policed, our children are educated and more.

The flame of racism continues to burn brightly in this country. Marches, protests and vigils have been the tools in fighting racism's grip. But these activities have largely been the work of African Americans who may have infrequent access to civic, educational and corporate allies.

We do not see enough of white America using their array of resources to take actionable steps to confront the pain racism has caused this country. Their seemingly reluctance to devote strategic means to defend the rights of African Americans makes whites complicit in allowing the cauldron of racism to continue to boil.

If we are to be "one nation," that must include defending the rights and liberties of African Americans.